madonna

I never thought Madonna would ever unveil her #SecretProject. She’s been teasing this mysterious piece of work for months now. Some thought it might be a concert DVD. There was even speculation it had something to do with promoting her boyfriend’s clothing line. Turns out the film is a part of Art For Freedom, the launch of a global initiative to further freedom of expression. The project is in conjunction with VICE and BitTorrent who curated and distributing it respectively.

“My goal is to show by the example of secretprojectrevolution my creative commitment to inspire change in the world through artistic expression,” the Material Mom elaborated. “I hope my film and other submissions to Art for Freedom will be a call to action and give people a place to voice their own creative expression to help fight oppression, intolerance and complacency.” – Madonna

Madonna unveiled the black and white Steven Klein-directed visual guerrilla style, projecting the film on building walls in select cities including New York, Toronto, Berlin and Los Angeles. It’s everything you’d expect from Madge- gorgeously shot, provocative, full of shirtless men, and a tad pretentious. Check out the short film below.

In the wake of Madonna and Lady Gaga openly defying Russia’s anti-gay law on their soil, the government is making entry into the country more difficult for foreign performers according to the Moscow Times. Russian conservatives tried to file lawsuits against them in the spirit of the controversial law banning the promotion of “nontraditional sexual relationships” to minors that came into effect this summer.

The first one affected by the tougher restrictions is Selena Gomez. The powers that be obviously perceive her as pro-gay, which I assume is probably true. The “Slow Down” singer is forced to cancel two scheduled shows in St. Petersburg and Moscow on September 23 and 25 respectively due to her visa being declined. As someone’s who’s seen her Stars Dance World Tour, they’re missing out. At least from what I can remember ;)

You knew it was coming? Within days of “Applause” surfacing online, plagiarism claims have once again befallen Lady Gaga. Not surprisingly, Madonna is involved.

While not completely blatant like “Born This Way” ripping off “Express Yourself,” fans of Madge allege Mother Monster’s latest sounds too similar to “Girl Gone Wild.” Personally, it’s a stretch, but I will say one thing. The two tracks make for one wicked mashup. Check out the audio below and weigh in afterward if you think Gaga has once again dipped in the Material Girls’ pool of hits.

The title of “Princess of Pop” is a term thrown around loosely these days. But don’t get it twisted, there is only one queen and her name is Madonna. On July 27, 1983, Madonna’s self-titled debut album was released and the music industry has never been the same since.

Its first single, “Everybody” (a quintessential 80s party jam), was actually released the previous year, in late 1982. The song became a hit in dance clubs and prompted Sire to sign her for a record deal. While Madge’s sophomore album Like A Virgin is widely credited as her big breakout album, Madonna would lay foundation to an illustrious and controversial career with her debut effort. The 8-track record would also give more visibility to the dance music scene and spawned three Top 40 pop hits. The album would go on to sell five million copies domestically and over 10 million worldwide.

Given the momentous 30th anniversary, I found it only fitting to celebrate her debut album. Til this day, I adore “Borderline” and rank it as one of my favorite cuts from the 54-year-old singer. Take a trip down memory lane and rewatch all the album’s music videos below. But before you do, cast your vote on your favorite track from Madonna.

After two years stuck in the runner-up slot, Oprah Winfrey returns to the top of the heap. For the fifth time ever, the 59-year-old mogul tops Forbes annual list of the 100 Most Powerful Celebrities. Unlike most lists from the publication, this list isn’t solely based on earnings and net worth. Rather, a combination of press mentions, social media power and naturally cha-ching is used in their formula. For the first time ever, a marketability score has been added to the mix.

Last year’s top dog, Jennifer Lopez, drops to No. 12. No doubt in part to her leaving American Idol. Even though she received less press mentions and lost that salary, abandoning that sinking ship was a wise career move. Even with J. Lo’s absence, six of the Top 10 spots are occupied by women. Check out the entire Top 100 list below.

Back in March, Madonna released the first teaser for her #SecretProject. The 54-year-old just unveiled another minute-long clip teasing her upcoming collaboration with Steven Klein.

While it doesn’t give away exactly what this secret project is all about (most likely a tour DVD), based on the black and white visual, it’s going to be violent and beautifully shot. Seriously, photographer Klein has outdone himself. It’s mesmerizing. As you would expect from Madge, there is a bit of a sadomasochism theme. Check out the trailer below.

No matter who you are, regardless of star status, everyone has their fair share of fans and haters. Celebrities just have more than most. Star magazine compiled a list of twenty celebrities who have more people loathing them, than adoring them. Check out which controversial singers, self-promoting reality TV stars and pretentious actors made the list.

Naturally, Chris Brown made the cut. Ever since assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna back in 2009, he’s been on many people’s hit list. His seemingly lack of remorse and douchey attitude hasn’t helped redeem his image. Surprisingly, the R&B singer lands at No. 20. Believe it or not, there are 19 other personalities more hated than him.

Kim Kardashian, whom I loathe, and mom-ager Kris Jenner only placed at 11th and 10th respectively. Anne Hathaway with her perceived faux humility and humbleness during the Oscar awards season earned her a No. 9 slot. Not even cheating Kristen Stewart with her surly and less-than-thrilled expressions snagged the top spot. She came up short in the runner-up slot. Find out who the “Most Hated Celebrity In Hollywood” is below and the rest of the Top 20.

Sometimes Nicole Scherzinger makes me really laugh. Recently, the former Pussycat Dolls singer revealed to UK’s The Independent on Sunday that she sometimes wishes she was “more slutty” because she’d probably be more successful if she were. Ummm, does she not remember her PCD days? Love the girl group, but if that wasn’t the definition of slutty, I don’t know what is. Oh wait… I forgot about Girlicious ;)

Donning a ball gown and belting out a beloved musical track probably isn’t the best way to become sluttier, if that’s what she really wants. The 34-year-old singer performed “Don’t Cry For Me Argetina” as a tribute for prolific musical maestro Andrew Lloyd Webber. It’s so weird not seeing her doing pelvic thrusts or writhing around on the floor ;) On a side note: Isn’t it funny how much more Nicole is well received across the pond than in the US. I wonder why that is?

Scherzinger was one of many, including Samantha Barks (Les Miserables), Il Divo and Melanie C, to perform at ITV’sAndrew Lloyd Webber 40 Years. Check out her performance below, along with Madonna’s rendition from the movie adaptation of Evita. Be sure to comment on which performance you prefer in the comments section after viewing them.